The old-time breed of sheep raised in the mountains was small but hardy and adapted to spending its time in the woods.

Although mountain people never ate much mutton, raising sheep had long been an important part of life on West Virginia highland farms, though the operation was far different than it might have been in valley regions.

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The chief incentive for raising sheep was traditionally for the production of wool for home use, which mountain women prepared by carding and spinning into yarn to make clothing. Commercial production was usually limited to the hills and valleys along the Ohio River, notably in the northern panhandle.Map showing U.S. Sheep Production in 1850, from "A Brief History of the Sheep Industry in the United States," 1921, authored by L.G. Conner.

In the mountains, however, the old-time breed of sheep was small and weighed little more than 40 pounds, but it was hardy, adapted to spending most of its time in the woods, returning home only occasionally to get salt and a little grain.

In autumn, the farmer's family would go out and round up the herd, bringing it down to a field near the farm where hay or fodder would be available when snow covered the ground.

According to historian Jim Comstock, this is where highland shepherding differed from lowland practices, which were much more pastoral.

"The usual practice was to fence a haystack so the sheep could not get at it and periodically to remove hay from it and spread it on the ground for the animals' convenience," he wrote.

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In order to identify their sheep, mountain farmers would cut notches in their ears. Each farmer had a different shape notch, which was used for his animals only. Every other farmer in the area recognized these as identifying marks.

A few rams were kept with the sheep, to ensure the maintenance of the flock. One ram for about 20 ewes was an average number, though it was by no means rigid. Occasionally a young ram might be castrated and raised for meat. Rams fixed in this way were called "wethers."

"Unlike farmers in European countries," Comstock said, "West Virginia mountaineers never attempted to salt or cure mutton, claiming that the salt would spoil the meat, so, once slaughtered, a lamb or wether had to be eaten quickly."

The most difficult time for a farmer keeping sheep was in the early spring when "lambin' time" occurred. The old-fashioned mountain sheep usually bore their young without trouble and began to nurse them almost immediately, but when improved sheep became popular in later years, there were problems.

Sometimes a ewe would disown her lamb and refuse to feed it. In such cases, the farmer's family would have to take over with a bottle. Or a ewe who lost her lamb might be given an orphan and persuaded to nurse it, but this was often impossible as sheep do not like to accept offspring which are not their own.

Shearing time was in the spring and, if enough wool grew over the summer months, shearing might be repeated in autumn. Sheep were sheared by hand in the old days. An experienced shearer could shear about 40 animals in a day.

Modern sheep raisers can strip the wool off a sheep with an electric shearer in about three minutes. A large mountain sheep would yield about a pound or two pounds of wool, compared with six to eight pounds for modern "improved" sheep.

One problem with keeping sheep was their lack of ability to defend themselves. Bobcats and even foxes would kill lambs, and packs of wolves and wild dogs would kill whole flocks.

"Once in a while," Comstock wrote, "a domestic dog would become a sheep-killer, and it was said that when a dog got started in this way there was no means of stopping him from killing."

Other problems that mountain sheep suffered included ticks, worms, milk sick, and a few other diseases, but they were generally remarkably healthy.

Today, sheep are raised across the state, though its top-producing counties are Pendleton, Greenbrier, Preston, Randolph, and Pocahontas, according to the West Virginia Department of Agriculture. In 2018, more than 32,000 head were counted—an inventory value of $5.9 million.

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Author, historian, real estate agent, and proponent of inventive economic development in West Virginia, David Sibray is the founder and publisher of West Virginia Explorer Magazine. For more information, he may be reached at 304-575-7390.